Posted by
Arnie on Monday, June 04, 2007 7:14:56 AM
Does anyone really think the presidential debates are really debates? You know, those times when you were given 15 minutes to express your opinion on one particular subject and you had an opponent who was given the same amount of time to discuss his opinion on the exact same subject. And then the class voted.
No interruptions, no questions asked during or after. Just a vote. Now that would be a debate. "A formal contest of argumentation in which two opposing teams defend and attack a given proposition." What is happening in these presidential look pretty parties are not debates.
Anyway these are some of the talking points that the dem contenders had to say over "whether the Bush administration had made the country safer from terrorism after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001."
John Edwards. [the] global war on terrorism a ``political slogan, a bumper sticker, that's all it is''
Hillary Clinton. ``I have seen first hand the terrible damage that can be inflicted on our country by a small band of terrorists. I believe we are safer than we were.''
Barak Obama. ``We live in a more dangerous world partly as a consequence of this president's actions,''
At another point in the "debate", a raise your hand if you agree question was asked. Do you think English should be the official language of America? Only former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel raised his hand. Obama thought the question was divisive.
so neither think America is strong enough to warrant one official language.
Just talking points. If the moderator wanted a real debate, then after each of these statement he could have asked, and why do you say that? You have 5 minutes to explain yourself.
The republican debates are not any better. Either the media, who put on and sponsor the debate, or the politicians who agree to the format, think that the American public does not want or cannot handle the intensity of a real debate between the contenders. I have a tendency to think that neither one think the average American is smart enough to sit, listen and follow along to a real open honest debate. And that is as sad as these debates are.